From this Thursday it is mandatory to contact the SNS 24 Line before accessing obstetrics and gynecology emergencies. But there are exceptions. If you are pregnant, Know how to act in these situations.
It is now mandatory to contact the SNS Line 24 – 808 24 24 24 – before accessing obstetrics and gynecology emergencies. This measure had already been implemented in hospitals in the Lisbon and Vale do Tejo, Leiria and Caldas da Rainha regions, but is now extended to the entire country.
An obligation that does not apply to life-threatening situationsnor in cases where users are referred by other health professionals or emergency medical services.
When to call SNS 24 or 112?
The Ministry of Health indicates that if you are facing a “serious or life-threatening situation”, you should call 112.
“INEM will give the appropriate response.”
Otherwise, if you are not faced with a situation of this nature, you should call the SNS 24 line.
“You should call NHS 24 for a non-emergent health issue. NHS 24 through the Triage, Advice and Referral service is responsible for assessing and guiding citizens experiencing acute illness.”
A measure intended to respond to high waiting times in emergencies and pressure on clinical teams.
“It’s a way of using urgency only for urgent situations and directing other situations to places where the response is more appropriate,” Diogo Ayres de Campos, director of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lisbon, told SIC.
Decision results from positive evaluation of the pilot project of telephone pre-screening, tested since the end of 2024 in hospitals in the Lisbon and Vale do Tejo, Leiria and Caldas da Rainha regions.
“The population in the pilot project received this well, it even received it as help, especially because most complaints do not need to be evaluated in the emergency room, which takes the pressure off the emergency room”, added Diogo Ayres de Campos.
Also this week, the Minister of Health announced that the first regional emergencies in Obstetrics and Gynecology should start in March.
